State Police kill man in Clay County while serving warrant

ByStaff reports

CLAY, W.Va. -- State Police shot and killed a man in Clay County Wednesday morning after he pointed a rifle at officers who entered his house to serve a federal search warrant, State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Baylous said.

At 6:05 a.m. Wednesday, the State Police special response team, akin to a SWAT team, and federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents knocked on the door of Richard Dale Kohler, 66, at Laurel Ridge Road in Maysel to serve a federal warrant, Baylous said.

No one answered when the officers knocked, so they "had to break down the door or forcefully open it somehow," Baylous said.

When they did, Kohler was pointing a rifle at the officers, Baylous said.

The troopers fired their guns and multiple shots were fired, killing Kohler, Baylous said. He said he did not think that Kohler had fired his rifle, but it was still unclear.

Baylous said the warrant that police were there to serve is part of a larger, ongoing drug investigation with more than one suspect. He would not comment on the nature of the ongoing investigation other than to say that the division of the DEA involved in the investigation is primarily focused on prescription drugs.